Market Street, San Francisco's premier street and most important destination, is envisioned to become a more attractive place for people to visit, promenade and linger. Despite its attractive design and use of high-quality materials, the sidewalks and public spaces fail to work as gathering places. Great streets have always been more than corridors for movement; they are the civic and cultural centers of cities where people gather to see, learn and participate in a vibrant city life.

Overarching Goal for Placemaking on Market Street:

Make Market Street the signature sustainable street in San Francisco and the Bay Area by creating a memorable and active identity, with gathering spaces, the ability to promenade, and a vibrant public life.

To achieve this vision, however, the street and adjacent public plazas will need to be improved so that they support a greater number, and a more diverse range of social, cultural, and economic activities. This effort will necessarily extend to the ground-floor design of buildings along Market Street so that they become contributing factors to the success of the public realm.

The Better Market Street project engages the public in an exciting visioning process for the future of Market Street. As we move into the environmental review process, please visit this site frequently to learn of upcoming events, peruse design options, and share your thoughts and ideas. By leaving a comment on this website, your email address will automatically be added to the mailing list announcing open participation events.